Broncos facing controversial decision about starting CB during the bye week

We're not going to say it should happen, but rather that it needs to be discussed. The Denver Broncos enter their bye week riding high on an eight-game winning streak, and they're about to get some significant reinforcements back on the defensive side of the ball.

After going down with an injury in the team's win against the Dallas Cowboys, reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II has missed a handful of games, and the Broncos have done well in his absence. Part of the reason they've done so well is the play of second-year cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, who also did well last year when pressed into action due to an injury to Riley Moss.

With Surtain set to return, the question has to be asked and discussed: Will the Broncos consider benching Riley Moss and giving snaps to Kris Abrams-Draine when Surtain returns?

Broncos may have difficult decision to make with starting CB Riley Moss when Pat Surtain II comes back

On the whole this season, Riley Moss's work has been rather good for the Denver Broncos. He has the lowest completion rate allowed of any cornerback to be targeted 40 or more times this season (45.6 percent), but that's the good news.

The bad news? Moss has been flagged 11 times in 11 games this season: 9 pass interference penalties, an illegal contact penalty, and a facemask penalty.

The illegal contact happened against the Kansas City Chiefs and took a Jahdae Barron pick-six off the board. The pass interference penalties have been debatable at times, but the fact of the matter is, they keep getting called.

Moss joked after the game (or maybe he wasn't joking) that he is going to have to start wearing boxing gloves to make sure he's not grabbing when he's already done the hard work of staying in phase and putting himself in position to make a play on the ball.

Moss has outstanding speed, he's physical, he's tough, and he's an instinctive player. The good qualities he brings to the table are the primary reasons why he's not been replaced at this point, because many players around the league with 11 flags in 11 games would get benched by a head coach.

And that brings us to an interesting point of discussion. Do the Denver Broncos even consider the idea of playing Kris Abrams-Draine at the other outside cornerback position when Pat Surtain II returns to the field?

All season long, we've been having discussions about Riley Moss being penalized. It's been brutal to watch, because he's undoubtedly getting shafted at times. But at what point do the Broncos draw the line? Moss had 90 yards in penalties against the Kansas City Chiefs, two back-breaking pass interference calls that flipped the field for Kansas City's offense and another aforementioned infraction that wiped off a defensive score.

Players and coaches are going to be away from the facility during the bye week, but Sean Payton will undoubtedly still be around. And although the idea may cross his mind or his desk to make this change, I would be shocked if it happened. Each situation is different, but look at the patience Payton has had with Troy Franklin this season.

Franklin may not be getting penalized, but he's dropped passes and missed opportunities that have cost the offense in a similar way Moss's penalties have cost the defense. And Payton has stuck with him.

Could we see a shorter leash for Moss beyond this week? It's not impossible. If Moss continues to struggle with penalties and doesn't make adjustments, the Broncos have a capable player they can turn to.